HEALING HERBS:
black tea, red tea and green tea

Medical herbs (healing herbs) - informative and entertaining stories on herbs & tea
with healthy recipes and useful tips

CONTENT OF OUR BOOK ON MEDICAL HERBS:

• THE POWERFUL BLADE OF GRASS
• THE GOOD DANDELION
• THE FRAGRANT MINT
• THE WILLOW HERB
• THE HEALING VALERIAN
• THE KNOTGRASS
• THE PLANTAIN
• THE SOOTHING CHAMOMILE
• ST. JOHN'S WORT – THE BLOOD OF THE SEVEN BROTHERS
• THE CUNNING NETTLE
• THE MAGIC LEAVES
• THE LILY OF THE VALLEY (HARE EARS)
• THE MAGIC BREW
• THE OLD KETTLE
• OVID'S ODE
• THE POWER OF TEA

 

The truthful entertaining fairy-tale stories on Tea: black tea, red tea and green tea
(About history and benefit of herbs)
with healthy recipes where herbs are being used

 

BOOK ON HEALING HERBS:

Tea and its healing quilities:
learn about tea and tea history from our entertaining stories on herbs

 

"THE POWER OF TEA"

 

Once, a father called together his three sons.

“My children,” he said to his sons, “I leave to you my land, my money, and my dream of visiting the far-off lands of India , China and Japan .”

As the old man finished these words, he took his last breath. As they buried their father, one of them spoke.

“Our father worked his entire life to feed us, but he never fulfilled his dream.”

They decided to rent out their land for three years so that each could go on a journey. They agreed to meet again on their land in three years' time, where they would bring together the wonderful things they had collected on their travels. One brother would go to India , another to China and the third to Japan.

The three years passed quickly. When the brothers met again, each of them was carrying a large sack. The elder brother spoke first.

“ India is full of wonders, but the most miraculous of all is the Himalayan mountains. Their snowy peaks rise high into the air, and strange gardens grow down below. A delicate breeze, which comes down from the mountains, passes through these gardens. When the birds begin to sing, and the morning rays fill the gardens with sparkling dew, the gardens can be seen in all their splendour. The foothills of the Himalayas are covered with plantations of bushes with bright, green leaves. They cover the mountains like an enormous green carpet, flowing downwards to the riverbeds and back up the slopes towards the peaks.

“Native Indian women, with dark eyes and thin faces, climb up the mountainsides in great chains. They arrive in the gardens just as the sun appears over the snow-capped peaks. With their large woven baskets thrown over their shoulders, these women in multi-coloured saris move in rows among the densely packed bushes.

“Only the delicate, patient hands of a woman can gather the leaves from these bushes in the correct way. With accurate, swift movements, they remove the youngest leaves and the buds covered in white fluff.

“Their harvest is then transported to a factory. It is said that the soul of the garden lives in the hands of the harvesters, but that its heart and mind lives in the factory. Here, men dressed in white work among the roar of heavy machinery. The leaves have a long journey before they end up in a teacup. First, they are left to hang in the warm breeze to dry out. Then the leaves are pressed together.

“Next, the strange process of fermentation begins. The leaves are placed in a warm, moist atmosphere for an hour or two – this gives them their dark colour and unique taste.

“Last of all, the leaves are put into an enormous drying machine. This is how they make the famous drink. I have a sack of it here.”

The middle brother now told his story:

“I don't think I can tell my story as well as you did, dear brother. Nevertheless, allow me to tell you about a miracle which I witnessed. Some time after arriving in China , I heard about the secret gardens, which they have in that country. The gardens are highly protected, and foreigners are not allowed to visit them. I was therefore unable to see these secret mountain gardens myself, but I did hear that the plants grown there are used to make a sacred drink for the emperor and his family. Once a year, the upper leaves and buds are removed from these plants by young virgins with golden scissors. They place the harvest in gold baskets, in which they are then dried and processed.

“In an effort to procure a small amount of these leaves, I got a job working in the emperor's garden. I soon became an expert in the plants of the emperor's garden, but had still not managed to obtain the mysterious leaves. I would sometimes catch the scent of the plant when Chinese princesses were drinking it in the garden.

“One day, fate offered me an opportunity. The princesses were walking along the side of a pond in the garden when a terrifying tornado struck. All the girls rushed into the palace, except for the youngest who tripped and fell into the pond. In the confusion, nobody had noticed her. The girl was drowning, so in the blink of an eye I jumped in to save her. When I had managed to pull her out, I took her back to the palace.

“The next day, the emperor demanded to see me and asked whether I would like a reward for rescuing his daughter. When I told him that I would like nothing more than to taste the mysterious brew, he frowned.

“'You are very clever,' said the emperor, ‘since you have chosen something which is more valuable that gold or any precious stone.'

“Then he clapped his hands three times, and gave an order:

“'Bring out the special oolong tea which we call ‘Goddess'.'”

“A young princess presented me with a box containing this sack which I have here with me.”

The youngest brother then had his opportunity to speak:

“I travelled throughout Japan and saw many miracles. The most magnificent miracle was the velvety-green waves which cover the country's hills. These green waves flow down from the mountains in the morning fog. Once each year, in spring, dainty little women, dressed in long red aprons, fan out among the thick emerald waves. From each plant, they remove the top layer of buds and leaves. It is these valuable leaves which I have brought back with me.”

Now that each had revealed the contents of his bag, the three brothers started to laugh. All three sacks contained tea; the eldest brother had collected black tea, which had been fully fermented, the middle brother had red oolong tea, partially fermented, and the youngest brother had fresh, unprocessed green tea.

Many years passed since the brothers' return. The eldest became a merchant. He visited all four corners of the Earth and tried more than two thousand different teas. There was not a single tea in the world, which he did not taste and purchase.

The middle brother became a doctor. He would often say to his patients:

“In China , they say that it is easier to live for three days without food than one day without tea. Chinese green tea is a life-giving drink. It cleans out the organs of the body and provides vitamins and other beneficial substances.”

The youngest brother opened tea shops around the entire country. Even people who had never tried the drink before were delighted by his teas. When his older brothers came to visit him, he made them some tea.

“Whenever you drink tea,” explained the youngest brother, “there are certain traditions which must be followed. You must ensure you have exceptional tea leaves; soft, clean water; attractive cups and teapots; and, of course, a tea master who is wise in all matters to do with tea.”

 

Questions and exercises based on the story:

•  In which countries is tea grown?

•  Which leaves and buds of the tea plant are used for making tea?

•  What is the name given to the most mysterious part of the tea-making process?

•  What stages do the tea leaves pass through before reaching the cup?

 

Divide the children into three groups.

•  One group plays the role of merchants. They write a story about the countries they visit to buy tea, describing the types of tea they buy and how they transport it.

•  The second group imagine that they are doctors in a hospital which uses tea to treat its patients. The children should describe how they use tea to treat different illnesses.

•  The final group are tea masters. The children should write about how they run their tea shops to ensure they always have plenty of customers.

 

How do black tea, red tea and green tea differ from each other?

•  What knowledge must a person possess to be awarded the title of tea master? Is there a member of your family or someone you know who could be given this title?

•  Imagine that you had gone to India , Japan and China with the three brothers. Draw a picture of the tea plantations you saw in these countries.

•  Bring in some different types of tea, and make sure you have the necessary teapots and cups. You should brew the tea yourself. Then divide the children into groups and ask them to describe the taste of each type of tea. There should be a prize for the best description.

 

Healthy recipes with the use of plantain >>>

 

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